Muscat – The first half of 2024 has shown promising signs of recovery and growth in Oman’s tourism and hospitality sectors. The latest data indicates that 2mn visitors arrived in the country in 2024 by the end of June, up 5.2% compared to the 1.9mn visitors of the same period in 2023.

The increase in inbound visitors, coupled with robust hotel activity and rising air traffic, underscores the sultanate’s growing prominence on the global tourism map.

The top five nationalities visiting Oman included Emiratis (578,351 in 2024 compared to 571,419 in 2023), Indians (316,890 compared to 314,594), Yemenis (107,705 compared to 51,882), Germans (83,054 compared to 90,838), and British nationals (49,069 compared to 51,389).

In June, Oman welcomed 302,222 visitors, down 10.9% from 339,126 visitors in June 2023.

Outbound trends

The outbound figures show that people in Oman are back packing their bags and going abroad for business and pleasure.

The number of those departing Oman in the first half of 2024 was 4mn, compared to 4.1mn a year ago, reflecting a 2.3% decline.

The majority of these were Omani nationals, with 2,808,582 departures in 2024 compared to 3,050,843 in 2023. Other groups included Indians (436,967 compared to 438,314), Pakistanis (261,086 compared to 219,079), Bangladeshis (144,287 compared to 130,168), and Yemenis (112,228 compared to 49,824).

In June 2024, 739,498 visitors departed Oman, marginally down 0.8% from 745,536 in June 2023.

Hotel activity

The hospitality sector also demonstrated strong performance during the first half of 2024. Indicators of hotel activity for 3- to 5-star properties showed positive growth in several key areas.

A total of 1,045,226 guests were recorded, representing a 10.7% increase from 944,268 during the same period in 2023. Room nights also saw an increase with 1,471,361 nights booked, up 8.9% from 1,351,485 nights in the previous year. However, overall occupancy stood at 47.8% suggesting scope for improvement in the sector.

Revenue generated by these hotels was RO119.5mn, up 8.6% from RO110.1mn in 2023. Room revenues grew 9.1% to RO68.7mn, while other revenues increased 7.8% to RO50.8mn.

Hotel occupancy rates varied significantly across Oman’s governorates in June 2024. North Batinah led with 45.8% occupancy, followed by Muscat with 38.4% and Dhahirah 35.9%. The lowest occupancy was recorded in Buraimi – 3.7% – followed by North Sharqiyah – 6.3%.

Air traffic

The air traffic movement through Oman’s airports also reflected growth this year. The number of international flights increased 7.5% to 23,279, up from 21,647 in the same period in 2023. The number of passengers on these flights grew 10% to 3,057,227 compared to 2,778,861 in 2023.

Domestic flights saw better growth with 3,339 flights, up 16.7% from 2,861 in 2023. The number of passengers on domestic flights rose 13.6% to 424,956 compared to 374,228 in 2023.

In June 2024, the top six nationalities arriving on international flights included Indians (78,786), up 14.4% from 68,882 in June 2023. Omani nationals followed with 61,201 arrivals, up 2.3% from 59,796. Other groups included Pakistanis (27,790, up 28.6%), Sudanese (14,674, up 786.1%), Bangladeshis (13,251, down 41.9%) and Egyptians (9,978, up 24.8%).

These figures reflect a robust growth in both international and domestic air traffic, indicating an overall recovery and increased mobility within Oman and beyond.

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